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I am in desperate need of help, and hope someone can help me find an answer.

I was backing up some things on my external HD (I was using my iMac, which I run osx 10.7.4 transferring to a Seagate FreeAgent Go Flex Drive - in case this helps/matters) and in the middle of the files transferring (I'm a photographer, so it was a huge batch of files), finder disappears, and returns and my transfer bars are gone. To no surprise, my files didn't transfer (I was also transferring some things from my external HD to my computer's HD). Next thing I noticed, half of the folders on my external HD in alphabetical order from the letter "k" onwards are missing. I later try to move a folder I already transferred earlier to it that starts with a letter "n" (so is missing at least visibly) and finder asks me if I want to replace the folder. Also, I noticed the file size of my external HD never changed, despite half the folders now being missing to the naked eye.

All this leads me to believe that my "missing" folders/files are there somewhere, I just can't see them. Any clue on how I can access them? I really need them as they are client files that some I have yet to work on. Help! Much appreciation in advance for any insight..

These Seagate GoFlex drives are awful. I have one and had some really bizarre file errors and files go "missing" also. Most likely you need to rebuild the volume. DiskWarrior is probably the best at this. TechTool Pro has a similar tool, and otherwise is a great utility. Neither are cheap though.

EDIT: you can also use TTP to do a full surface scan to be sure the drive isn't failing. One of the very weird things I had with my GoFlex drive is that it failed the surface scan, but after rebuilding the volume structure, it passed. Ever since, it hasn't given me any problems.

These Seagate GoFlex drives are awful. I have one and had some really bizarre file errors and files go "missing" also. Most likely you need to rebuild the volume. DiskWarrior is probably the best at this. TechTool Pro has a similar tool, and otherwise is a great utility. Neither are cheap though.

EDIT: you can also use TTP to do a full surface scan to be sure the drive isn't failing. One of the very weird things I had with my GoFlex drive is that it failed the surface scan, but after rebuilding the volume structure, it passed. Ever since, it hasn't given me any problems.

yeah i thought i was doing good upgrading from WD to seagate. i have several this is the first one i have had problems with - but the one giving me trouble is virtually brand new so i am bewildered. i guess i will stick to g-drives or glyph drives as much $$ as they are. are there any brands that seem the most reliable to you? (or anyone else out there in the world wide web?). my livelihood depends on these mini-machines! ergh!

yeah i was actually just looking into: diskwarrior, drivegenius3, and datarescue3. i thought it seems datarescue would be my best bet, but you're thinkin' diskwarrior? i'm willing to purchase any or all. i figure it will be as much as paying someone to recover them anyways.. my only concern is compatibiltity of this software with OSX lion. seems that data rescue 3 is definitely compatible, can't find anything on drive genius, and haven't looked much into diskwarrior yet.

yeah i thought i was doing good upgrading from WD to seagate. i have several this is the first one i have had problems with - but the one giving me trouble is virtually brand new so i am bewildered. i guess i will stick to g-drives or glyph drives as much $$ as they are. are there any brands that seem the most reliable to you? (or anyone else out there in the world wide web?). my livelihood depends on these mini-machines! ergh!

No personal experience. I do know that OWC's kits are generally held in high regard, and their record for supporting the Mac is very strong. Whenever I replace my GoFlex, I'll be going with one of their products. I'm mainly holding out for something that's Thunderbolt compatible for future-proofing.

yeah i was actually just looking into: diskwarrior, drivegenius3, and datarescue3. i thought it seems datarescue would be my best bet, but you're thinkin' diskwarrior? i'm willing to purchase any or all. i figure it will be as much as paying someone to recover them anyways.. my only concern is compatibiltity of this software with OSX lion. seems that data rescue 3 is definitely compatible, can't find anything on drive genius, and haven't looked much into diskwarrior yet.

I had Drive Genius 2 and was very much unimpressed. DiskWarrior is a one-trick pony, but is supposed to be the best at what it does. TechTool Pro is probably the single best suite of disk utilities available for OS X. I highly recommend it. I'm not acquainted at all with Data Rescue.

I appreciate the thoughts on all accounts. Genuinely. I ran to a close-to-home best buy and picked up a g-drive because I have heard they work well for apple as well. Never heard of osw, but will definitely look them up next time I replace my drive. I go through them fairly quickly with the amount of files I work with. And typically - though not true unfortunately of my current case - I back up files I have yet to work with on two drives to be safe.

Does anyone back up online and have a recommendation? I find the price for space is difficult to swallow..

I enthusiastically endorse the idea of offsite backup for the those few GBs of really irreplaceable files, but can't suggest it for a full backup of a drive, as it just takes WAY too long and the charges are exorbitant.

For online photo and video backup, the best deal I've found is Flickr Pro ($25/year). For music, iTunes Match (also $25 per year). At the moment I think Microsoft's Skydrive or Box.net is offering the most space for free (5GB IIRC). Again, in my opinion online backup is a great idea for really precious files, not for everything.